This invention relates to the field of cosmetics, and provides a method and apparatus for making artificial fingernails.
It has long been common for women to color their fingernails, and/or to wear artificial fingernails having various colors. Typically, such artificial fingernails have a length which greatly exceeds the maximum practical length of a natural nail. Artificial fingernails are generally formed of an acrylic material which is applied in a liquid or paste form, and then dried and hardened. The acrylic material may be applied, in part, over the surface of a natural nail, and/or it may be applied, in part, over a surface defined by a temporary nail form. Such nail forms, which may be made of paper or foil, are temporarily affixed to the finger, and the acrylic is applied to the form. After the acrylic has dried and hardened, the form can be removed, leaving an artificial nail extension defined by the acrylic.
In recent years, the "French" nail has become very popular. A French nail is an artificial fingernail having at least two colors. In its most common form, a French nail has a pink portion located at the proximal end of the nail (i.e. the end which is closer to the finger) and a white portion located at the distal end of the nail (i.e. the end which is farther away from the finger). The combination of pink and white generally imitates the ordinary coloring of a natural nail, which has a pink portion at the proximal end and a white (or, more accurately, non-colored) portion at the distal end.
The major problem with French nails is the difficulty in making them. It is very difficult for an untrained person to paint two different colors of acrylic onto a nail, while maintaining a well-defined border between the areas of different colors. It is also very difficult to perform the above while maintaining a desired thickness of the acrylic layer. Even professional nail technicians have difficulty making French nails, and the process can be tedious and therefore expensive.
The present invention solves the problems described above, and provides an apparatus and method for making French nails. The present invention greatly simplifies the procedure for making such nails, and enables nail technicians, or even relatively untrained persons, to form French nails very easily, while still insuring that the final product has a professional appearance.